In this lecture, Mary C. Brinton explores why fertility has dropped to very low levels in some postindustrial societies and not others. Using original in-depth interviews of young men and women in Japan, Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the United States, Brinton examines how the incomplete gender-role revolution hinders family formation in the postindustrial context.

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Fellows' Presentation

Parts of the world are facing a new “demographic time bomb,” one that threatens skyrocketing health care and pension costs as populations age. “It was really a shocking realization that this was happening,” said Mary Brinton, whose work explores declining fertility rates in postindustrial societies.